13. A Wall of Winter

A WALL OF WINTER 13 The tornado was spinning and swirling down the hall. Sam wanted to just let the icy storm pass. But he knew Orson Eerie fed on students. And he knew if Orson Eerie made it to the gym, he would feast on everyone!

"We need to destroy the tornado!" Sam shouted over the wind. "How?" Antonio asked. "This isn't a regular tornado," Sam replied. "It's made of ice and snow. So we should be able to beat it with..."

"Heat!" Lucy exclaimed. "So where's the hottest place in school?" asked Antonio. Lucy began flipping through the blueprints. "The big radiator outside the gym!" she said. "Then that's where we're going!" Sam said. He looked down at the floor. The heat had caused a thin layer of water to form, but the ice was still thick enough for skating. "Hold on tight!" Lucy and Antonio grabbed on to the sash, and Sam skated out into the hallway. He took off, towing his friends behind him. SCREECH! The tornado made a sound like nails on a chalkboard.

Swirling mist filled the hallway. Hail pounded the lockers. Water splashed the friends' backs. Furious winds pulled at them. Their jackets whipped about. Sam glanced over his shoulder as he skated. Just behind his friends, he saw the speeding tornado. It was gaining on them.

Sam's heart was pounding. Sweat dripped down his back. His legs felt weak. He still had two long hallways to skate before he reached the radiator. "I can't skate fast enough!" Sam called to his friends. "Orson's catching up to us!" For a moment, all Sam heard was the roaring tornado. Then Lucy said something crazy: "Antonio and I will let go!" "What?!" cried Antonio. "That tornado will suck us right up!" "Sam will be able to skate to the radiator without us slowing him down," explained Lucy. "It's the only way we'll stop Orson!"

Antonio's voice was firm. "Okay," he said. Before Sam could say "no," they let go of the sash! He looked back. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. Sam saw Antonio's and Lucy's eyes go wide as they were lifted off their feet. They were yanked into the air and pulled into the dark, spinning cloud.